The NFC East is a three-team race with two games remaining in the regular season. With the New York Giants getting shut down, 34-0, in Atlanta on Sunday, the door opened for both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys—and they walked right through to pull even with New York at 8-6.

Based on having the best division record (3-1), the Redskins are the new first-place team and control their destiny. Rookie backup quarterback Kirk Cousins, subbing for Robert Griffin III, led them to an impressive 38-21 road rout of Cleveland. The Cowboys (3-2 in the NFC East) were able to keep pace by fighting hard to outlast Pittsburgh at home, 27-24, in overtime.

The Giants (2-3 in the division) now know that even if they win their final two—a tricky trip to Baltimore and a home game against free-falling Philadelphia—they will need help to take back the East. The Cowboys and Redskins will face off in a huge game in Landover, Md., in Week 17. Before then, the Cowboys (home vs. New Orleans) and Redskins (at Philadelphia) have favorable matchups in Week 16.

The Redskins are in the driver's seat now, given they have the confidence to keep rolling on offense even if Griffin must miss more time with a knee injury. They know they can count on rookie Alfred Morris and the traditional running game. With hungry, ageless linebacker London Fletcher leading the way, Washington's defense is playing the run very well at the ideal time and has become a little more respectable against the pass. They also know they've beaten the Eagles and Cowboys before.

The Cowboys have become a different offense with a healthy DeMarco Murray in the backfield. Murray's hard, quick running is taking a lot of pressure off quarterback Tony Romo. Although Murray had a costly red zone fumble, his overall work against the Steelers (14 carries, 81 yards, one TD) allowed Romo to spread the field efficiently in the passing game. Nine receivers were included in his 30 completions for 341 yards. Even though Dallas is beaten up in the middle of the defense, its talented edge pass rushers and defensive backs create strength against the pass.

The Redskins and Cowboys may be late to the party in figuring out their identity, but now that they've crashed it, the one that wins the season finale should grab an invitation to the playoffs. If Griffin is healthy for the rematch, it's hard to pick against Washington, given how he feasted on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

The Giants are used to bailing themselves out down the stretch, but this time their injuries and other issues will be harder to overcome. With Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw banged up, Eli Manning hasn't been quite up to the task of carrying the offense. The pass rush hasn't been able to get going, which in turn has exposed major problems in the secondary. It's a stunning turn of events, and the Giants may not survive a challenging schedule as they did in 2011.

Forget about getting hot and going on a run like last season. The Super Bowl champs are facing a technical knockout on the road against an angry Ravens team next Sunday.

Beware the Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks (9-5) followed up their 58-0 rout of Arizona in Week 14 by bashing the Bills in Toronto, 50-17. Those scores should indicate that they are pretty much doing everything right in all three phases of the game, before their biggest game of the season—at home against NFC West-leading San Francisco on Sunday night.

The running game and the defense, with big, strong physical playmakers on every level, have been constants all season. But what has made them very to the rest of the conference is rookie Russell Wilson.

In the NFC, teams need an elite quarterback to get to the Super Bowl. That was the case with the last three winners—Drew Brees' Saints, Aaron Rodgers' Packers and Manning's Giants. This year, Wilson has already won head-to-head against Rodgers and the Patriots' Tom Brady.

While it could be argued that he was more of a game manager early, he's proving he's a well-rounded threat with growing confidence—to the point he can be likened to a heady veteran. Wilson remained efficient as a passer in Toronto against the Buffalo Bills (14-for-23, 205 yards, one TD), and Seattle used more read option plays to unleash him as a runner (nine rushes, 93 yards, three TDs).

The Seahawks would be lethal if they could finish ahead of the 49ers (10-3-1) and start the playoffs at home, but that doesn’t seem likely considering the Niners’ final game is against Arizona at Candlestick Park. But Seattle will still be dangerous considering Wilson has now proved he can't be rattled on the road.

Peterson, with 212 more rushing yards against the Rams, has 1,812, putting him 294 away from breaking the single-season record of 2,105 yards held by Eric Dickerson. But he should be more proud of the fact that he's carried Minnesota (8-6) on his back, to the point where the team is in position to earn the NFC's No. 6 seed.

The Vikings all but eliminated the Rams (6-7-1), but it will be difficult to stay ahead of the Bears, Cowboys and Giants and punch a postseason ticket. They draw the toughest remaining 1-2 punch of a schedule, with a game at Houston and then a home matchup against the Packers. It will be tough for Peterson to pass Dickerson against those defenses, but considering Christian Ponder and the passing game continue to provide little help, you can bet the Vikings will keep giving him the ball and hope to ride him into the playoffs.

Injury update

Ryan Mathews, RB, Chargers (broken left collarbone). You will recall that Mathews fractured his right collarbone in the preseason, and the injury contributed to his slow start in 2012. He hurt the other collarbone in the Chargers' embarrassing 31-7 home loss to Carolina on Sunday. Now he's finished after a forgettable season that had him in and out of coach Norv Turner's doghouse. San Diego will need to turn to the likes of Curtis Brinkley and Jackie Battle in the running game as it plays out the string.

Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens (concussion). The Ravens didn't have Smith available when they were in pass-happy comeback mode against the Broncos, though it probably wouldn’t have mattered much in a 34-17 defeat. With their grip on the AFC North slipping, the Ravens have to hope Smith will be cleared in time to take advantage of the Giants' shaky secondary next Sunday.